Second Chance
by Rage-of-Death
Summary: When Edward falls asleep while reading, he finds himself face to face with his second chance at life. (Disclaimers: I don't own Full Metal Alchemist)


Author's Note: This is my first fic and I really liked the idea for this story. I've read a lot of fics for FMA, but I'm not sure if this idea has been done yet but I'm gonna write this anyway. Well, here it is.

**Chapter 1: Surprising Appearances**

"Brother, let's go back to the room," Al pleaded to his older brother. "It's getting late."

"No Al. I want to read the rest of this. This guy might just have what we need."

Al sighed. Ed and him hadn't left the library since dawn and it was coming up on two o'clock in the morning. Ed hadn't really eaten anything all day and every now and then he'd take a sip from the water bottle Havoc had brought him around noon.

"I'm going to go get you something to eat," Al decided. "You must be hungry." He watched as Ed's stomache growled at the mention of food and Ed laughed slightly.

"Thanks a lot Al," Ed grinned at him. "I was getting a bit hungry." Al nodded and left the large library, closing the door behind him as he went to grab Ed somthing to eat. Ed closed his eyes. "Not to mention I'm tired too," he added aloud. He didn't realize it when he fell to the side, head laying on the book he'd been reading, sleeping soundly. Dark red eyes appeared almost out of nowhere and a bright light engulfed the room before all wen dark once more.

blah

"Edward Elric!"

The blonde's head shot up at the sound of his name. He tried to open his eyes, but sleep held them tightly shut. He rubbed them with hands, semi-noticing that instead of cold metal there was warm flesh, and blinked his eyes open. He sat in a desk in what appeared to be his old classroom back home with his teacher successfully glaring daggers right at him.

"Did you not get enough sleep young man?" she asked rather coldly. Edward blinked confused. Looking around, he noticed most of the kids from his past and then his eyes rested on the form of his brother when he was nine. He nearly jumped out of his seat until he calmed himself with the realization. 'It's only a dream,' he thought. He seemed to have these kinds of dreams when he was really tired and fell asleep in a rather uncomfortable postion. He smiled. 'Yeah, that's what it is.'

Well, he'd have to wake himself up so that he could finish reading his book, so he proceeded to do so. Resting his hands on the desk in front of him, started banging his head on the wooden desk. He stopped suddenly when he realized he was feeling something he usually didn't when he was dreaming.

Pain.

The teacher walked over to him quickly and looked down at him questioningly. "Should I call your mother to tell her you are coming home? You seemed to have paled considerably." She leaned down and rubbed his back. Ed blinked and nodded numbly. Alphonse stood up and ran to Ed as the teacher walked back to the desk and picked up the phone to call home.

"Brother, are you alright?" Ed couldn't respond, so he just sat there, staring out into space. The teacher hung up the phone and called out to the two Elric brothers.

"Okay you two, your mother is waiting for you now." She looked at Al. "I'd like for you to take your brother home and get him to bed. Hopefully, he will be feeling better by tomorrow." Al nodded and helped the dumbfounded Ed out of the classroom and then out of the school building.

Once they were a good way away from the school, Al broke the silence. "Brother, are you sick? You don't look so well."

Ed finally built up the courage to answer him. "I don't think so Al." he hung his head in thought. 'How could this be? It wasn't possible to feel pain in my dreams, could it? It's never happened before. Why now?' He stopped and looked up."What's today?" Al stopped and turned around.

"October tenth.(1) Why?" Al shot Ed a questioning look. The questioning look turned into one of surprise when Ed bolted towards the house pulling at Al's arm at the same time. Al balanced himself and began running alongside Ed. "Why are we running brother?" Ed didn't answer.

'I couldn't save her last time,' Ed thought. 'Maybe this time things will be different' He didn't know why he was so worked up about it. All he had to do was wait till he woke up. Maybe it was because he felt pain back in the classroom. As he grew tired from running, his hopes that this was only a dream were slowly being torn apart and tossed into the nearest trash can.

They reached the front door and Ed stopped, holding the doorknob in his hand. He slowly turned it and pushed the creaking door open, his head facing the ground. He heard a gasp and felt Al pushing him out of the way. The distant whistle of a train was heard and Ed knew; he hadn't been able to save her this time either. Ed raised his head to see Al sitting by their mother who was laying on the floor unconsious. A looked up at his brother with tears in his eyes.

"We need to call the doctor," he said. Ed started mumbling something Al could just barely catch. It was a mantra of sorts.

"It's a dream. Wake up now," Ed murmured repeatedly. Al stood up and walked in front of his brother.

"What are you saying? Why are you saying that? This isn't a dream brother," he paused as Ed's eyes seemed unfocused for a moment before returning the the unconsious figure of their mother. "What's the matter? Tell me what's wrong!" Ed slid to the ground, tears brimming in his eyes and gulped.

"It's happening again."

Al looked back at their mother and turned back to Ed again. He kneeled in front of Ed. "Brother," he said calmly. "We have to get a doctor. Then you can explain what's going on okay?" Ed nodded and they stood up. Ed went to get a doctor while Al stayed by their mother's side.

blah

They sat by their mother's side in two chairs that had been pulled up to the bed. Ed was once again spacing out. After telling Al everything and why he'd thought it was a dream, he'd clammed up and hadn't said a word since. Al understood his older brother's silence and kept silent as well. What Ed had told him had shocked him. It took a while before he finally accepted what Ed told him and just let it be as it was. Tears were still slowly crawling down his face with the knowledge that their mother was going to die. So absorbed in his thinking was he that he jumped when Ed stood up and bolted down the stairs, shooting a look that clearly meant the he would return shortly.

Ed ran down the stairs and out the front door drawing the attention of the adults sitting at the table. He reentered the house with a his hands full of white floweres and bolted up the stairs. The adults, not wanting to upset the boys anymore than they already were, left him alone and went back to what they had been previously been doing.

Ed shut the door behind him with his foot and put the flowers in the middle of the room. Al slid down from his chair and stood near Ed.

"What are you doing brother?" Al asked.

Ed put the flowers in a large pile and nodded to himself. Now all he had to do is see if he still had the ability. He looked up at Al. "I'm doing this for two reasons. One: I want to grant mother's last wish. Two: Because i want to see if I can still do it even though I'm here." He opened his arms wide and clapped them together. He felt the familiar energy surround his hands along with the flash of blue and then it ended. Where there was once and pile of flowers; now stood a ring of flowers. "There," Ed said and bent down to pick up the flowers.

Al looked at him, shocked. He shook it off understanding that it was one of the abilities Ed had gained after their...incident. They sat back down in the chairs and waited for their mother to wake up. She did a few minutes later and Ed placed the ring of flowers into their mother's hands. She looked down at them and smiled.

"How did you know?" her voice made smile. He hadn't heard it in years. "Thatnk you; both of you," she gripped the gift tighter and smiled. But the smile faded as she struggled to talk. "There's money in the closet upstairs. I want you two use it."

"I know," Ed replied. "I...don't talk. Save your strength." She nodded and closed her eyes.

"I love you two," she whispered before she passed on. Al cried and Ed stood up with tears streaming down his face. He turned and left the room, walked down the stairs and out the front door, slamming it behind him as he went. he ran to the hill where he and his brother usually sat to watch the sunset.

"Brother!"

Ed turned to see his brother running full speed at him. His eyes widened as he noticed that Al wasn't slowing down and waved his hands in front of him.

"Al! Stop! Don't- oof!" Ed was tackled to the ground as his brother ran right into him. They both sat up. Al was out of breath and Ed was glad he hadn't died of a heart attack. Al looked at him. Tears were still visible on the boy's face but he wasn't crying anymore.

"What do we do now?" Al asked.

Ed had thought about that while he'd been spaced out. "If this isn't a dream, then..." he paused."I'm going to become a state alchemist again Al."

Al looked at him surprised. "Why again? You don't have a reason to now."

Ed chucked and looked at the sky. "The reason I want to be one again isn't because of that." He smiled. "Without me, Mustang would be out of a job. Plus, there's other things that need to be taken care of. Without me being there, everything would be just.......wrong. I guess different would be a better word to use." He turned his head sideways towards Al who nodded in understanding.

"And I'm coming with you again," Al replied.

Ed nodded. "But not as a state alchemist.One Elric is enough. Two would be chaos. Plus, without you, I'd be just another jerk." They smiled at eachother.

blah

Seven months passed and the Elric brother's moved on.(2) Ed taught Al everything he knew in alchemy and Al studied hard. Seven months passed and Ed watched out the window, waiting for Mustang through the rainy night. Ed's gut feeling told him that Mustang would be coming here first.

Ed had been thinking a lot about what would change, how much harder it would be to be a state alchemist, and things he could prevent. But what concerned him the most was how much harder it would be to protect his little brother. Al wasn't a cold shell of armor that could repel bullets and other weapons anymore. If Al was broken this time, Ed couldn't fix him. How was he, Ed, supposed to protect Al when he himself was now normal as he could possibly be?

His thoughts were cut short when he heard knocking on the front door. In his musings, he had stopped his watch for the flame alchemist. He jusmped up, cursing at himself and Roy, and raced over to the door. He opened it to reveal the tall form of Roy Mustang. The smirk that was set firmly on the state alchemist's face made Ed blink in confusion.

"Good to see you again Fullmetal," Roy said sarcastically.

Well, hoped you like it. I had to put Mustang in the past too. It just wouldn't be any fun without him to get on Ed's last nerve now would it?

(1) I'm not sure what day their mother died so I just used the date that was set in Ed's pocket watch. Anyone mind correcting me if I was wrong?

(2) I'm not sure how long of a time period went in between Trisha Elric's death and Mustang's appearance were so I made an educated guess...

Read and Review please!


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